Back to school
After over 3 years of corporate life, it was finally time to move to Toronto to pursue a higher education. While I was on my Kolkata-Toronto bound 15-hrs flight, I was flooded with thoughts as to how I would adapt to the new culture and if I can make new friends.
After my acceptance into the program, I was quite excited about the new adventure that I would be embarking upon. I resigned from my job and started preparing for the program well in advance. We had a couple of webinars from the Career services and the Program services team, and understood that we had some big shoes to fill in given the success of our previous class. We were provided with some online resources to brush up our fundamentals in coding, statistics, and linear algebra so that we can hit the ground running once our class lectures begin. We were also provided a glimpse of the two finance modules – Financial Accounting and Foundations of Finance to help us follow along in the class.
Orientation
Just a week away from the orientation, I was quite busy settling in. I had to open a bank account, get a SIM card and request for a SIN number. In my temporary accommodation at Tartu college, I met some of my MMA classmates as well. While we knew that our days would get much busier, all of us planned to explore the vibrant and multi-cultural city for a day.
The big day finally arrived – the orientation. I was awed by the building, the pink stairs and the Robarts library located opposite to Rotman. After our breakfast at the Fleck Atrium, we were led to our classroom where our Program Director, Prof. Dmitry welcomed us. The cohort had a nice mix of students from various cultures having different undergrad backgrounds and I knew that I had made the right choice coming to Rotman.
We were divided into class groups and had a bonding session to start with so that we get know our team better. The ice-breaker activity was a fun-filled one, and everyone tried to complete as many puzzles as possible against the clock. The orientation went into the second day and had sessions about the Self Development Lab (SDL), diversity and inclusion, ways to network and show our presence inside and outside the school.
Start of the Intro Term
After two days of orientation, the program kicked off eventually. The intro term comprised of just two courses. The Analytics in Management course gave us a perspective of the various dimensions of an MBA program like Operations, Strategy, and Accounting to name a few. The other course Data-based Management Decisions helped us develop analytical skills by solving case studies and working in a group. The Analytics Colloquia course is divided into multiple modules throughout the program. Initially, we got to learn the basics of Python and R as these skills will be required to build models in the Fall term. A month almost flew by and now the final exams were knocking at the door!
Fast-forward to September
We got to know our practicum sponsor which ultimately is the key aspect of the program. Apart from the assignments that we had to complete on a frequent basis, our practicum team decided to participate in Canada’s largest tech fest – Elevate Tech Jam sponsored by TD, Interac and Rogers. We signed up for the FinTech challenge where we worked on a feature to bring people and charities closer. A week later, an MMA Datathon was held in the Rotman premises and my team secured the third position. Staying together as a team and working in an agile mode will help you to be successful in Rotman!
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The Master of Management Analytics is designed to give students the advanced data management, analytics, and communication skills needed to become an analytics professional.